Rain and Thunder Will Help the Flowers Grow
by SirenSweetie
Summary: He was her savior. She was enamored. It's hard not to fall in love with the man that saves your life. But Laxus Dreyar isn't too fond of children. So it's either time to step up or step out. Rated M just to be safe.
1. Astraphobia

Chapter 1: Astraphobia

The forest was alive with an abundance of animals and insects alike, birds singing loudly and frogs croaking deeply. The animals seemed happy the recent thunder storm had passed its peak, though. The clap of thunder occasionally sounded and the last rain of the storm trickled through the trees. Laxus used the forest trail as a shortcut back to the guild. It was easier than taking the train. Unfortunately, he had yet to find a cure for his profound motion sickness, and limited himself to trains only when it was absolutely necessary.

It had been another job well done, as usual. The jewel jingling in his wallet vouched for that. Nothing he couldn't handle. He was much too strong for such simple jobs.

"That old geezer underestimates me," he muttered with a scowl. "I should be S-Class by now."

A certain smell reached his nose and interrupted his irritation and he paused to let it register. It was a smell not unfamiliar to him, but it wasn't what he expected to smell in the forest. "Smoke?" Had lightning struck somewhere and caused a fire? No, it couldn't be. The animals seemed unfazed by the smell. Surely they would show some sign of panic if their home was on fire?

The blonde teen marched forward, curious now about the smell. Normally, he wouldn't care, but something twisted in the pit of his stomach. Another smell was invading his nostrils and turning his stomach with disgust. The scent of burning flesh.

The end of the forest trail came and the next scene that came into view through the soft drizzle of rain. There was smoke alright, but not any simple lightning strike was to blame. Before him was smoldering mess that used to be a town. It hadn't been very large to begin with - mainly just an in between town used for stocking up on supplies and resting for a night while traveling. He himself had passed through it only a day prior. There hadn't been many people, only a hundred at most. He remembered a portly baker that had offered him many varieties of warm breads and a kindly innkeeper woman that accidentally dropped a bucket of mopping water at his feet. But now, it was burnt to the ground. There were only ashes smoldering now, the recent rain having been successful in putting the worst of it out. He heard a support beam collapse into piles of wood below it, orange embers jumping up, only to return to the ground as ashes.

Laxus walked through the destruction and surveyed for any survivors, though he doubted there were any. He'd spotted a few limbs visible under debris, but when he would check for pulses, he would find nothing. The lightning mage came upon one of the only walls still standing and found an answer to the destruction.

Crudely painted in what seemed to be blood was a symbol he didn't recognize. It looked like the remnants of a magic circle. But, what circle was ever drawn in blood instead of magic? The only reasonable answer was the work of some kind of dark guild. He needed to talk to the old man in case he knew the answer.

Satisfied with his findings, he continued to make his way out of the village. He heard the loud rumble of thunder rolling through the sky and then something else. A sigh, maybe? Or even a whimper? Either way, his muscles tensed up, ready for a fight.

Searching for the source of the sound, he prowled around the area, not allowing himself to be caught off guard. To better hear, he removed the headphones from his ears and let them hang around his neck. Now his hearing was twice as effective. His ears brought him to a pile of bricks and wood, still smoking like the rest of the cindered town.

"Who's there? I know you're in there so come out." He was expecting a battle. A monster or a wizard faking weakness to disarm him. Instead, a choked sob and a fit off coughs was his answer. Surprised, he dropped to one knee and crouched down, peering into an opening in the crumbled building.

He was met with one of the dirtiest faces he'd ever seen. And he'd seen that Natsu kid after a meal. Ash, dirt and mud caked the small, round face before him. It was obviously a little kid - a girl. He could tell that much from the dirty dress on her body. Scowling, Laxus held out his hand. "Get out of there, kid. You'll get hurt if the building collapses."

She only responded by pressing herself further inside.

This was not his job. He should just leave and let the kid figure out this thing for herself. Scolding himself for wasting his time, he got down on both knees and peered at her, disgusted at feeling the mud soaking his pants. "What's your name? I'm Laxus Dreyar."

Still no response.

Sighing in aggravation, he reached out again. "Whatever happened here, it's over. Come out and you can wash your face."

Looking at his outstretched hand, the kid seemed to try and figure out his motives as she looked back and forth between the hand and the man it came from. After a few moments, she reached out hesitantly, small and dirty fingers brushing against his own. He felt the coldness of her fingers against his palm when he heard another thundery rumble and the hand pulled back with a startled cry.

Laxus scowled. "It's just thunder. How is that scary? It's sound caused by lightning. Just come on."

Obviously, this was getting him nowhere. He couldn't reach in and grab her, that wouldn't help. Kids could be so stubborn, and he didn't want to be here all day, so he was going to try and reason with her one more time.

Pulling his hand back, he focused magic to his fingers and created a few sparks of electricity. "See? I'm a wizard." He used his free hand to pull his shirt up enough to show his torso. "I'm a Fairy Tail wizard. I control lightning. It can't hurt me. If it can't hurt me, it can't hurt you." The golden sparks faded and he held out his hand to her again.

This time, his efforts were rewarded when he felt the chilled hand again, this time he was able to firmly grasp it and pull her from the pile of rubble. Seeing the wet, dirty mess she was, Laxus pulled off his brownish yellow shirt that covered his black long sleeved one and pulled it over her head. The shirt went down past the hem of her dirty, torn dress and covered most of her body. It was going to be easier to pick her up if she wasn't coating him with mud and dirt as well. He reached under her arms and lifted her up, cradling her legs with the other arm. It was annoying when kids wrapped their legs around him when they jumped up onto him. He couldn't tell if her long hair was brown or just dirty, but he could tell her eyes were a bright hazel. They stood out from under all the dirt. She was tiny, maybe around the same age at Mira and Elfman's kid sister. He couldn't really tell. He kept an eye out as he walked through the town. Didn't need the kid to freak out over seeing a dead body. One of them had to be a relative or something. Near the edge of the demolished town, bright orange caught his attention. He turned the kid's head to face away as he want to investigate.

It was a guild mark on a leg that stuck out of a pile of burnt bricks. The amount of blood pooled around the limb left no doubt that the wizard was dead. Though, he recognized the mark and grimaced.

It was a Blue Pegasus mark.

His lips pulling into a firm line, he strode out of the town, heading straight for the guild.

I know this was a bit short but I hope you enjoyed it and look out for the next chapter. I'll release it soon and please review. It helps a lot.


	2. A Fairy Welcome

Hello, all! This is Sweetie again! Hope you all liked the first chapter, and I hope you enjoy this one as well.

Chapter 2: A Fairy Welcome

It had surprised the Fairy Tail members when they noticed Laxus was late returning from a job. He had been expected in the early afternoon, but it had been nearly dusk when he had returned.

And none were more surprised than Master Makarov when his 16 year old grandson came into the guild hall with a filthy child in his arms.

"L-Laxus?!" The elderly man choked on his beer. "Where did you get that child?!" It was uncharacteristic for him to be around the little ones - well, it had been since the blonde's father had been expelled from the guild.

The male in question gave his grandfather a solemn, dangerous look in return. A look that could only mean there was a serious topic to be discussed - and not publicly in the hall. Makarov stood on the counter and peered at the child that clung to his grandson. It was a sight to see, for sure! He thought he'd be senile by the time he saw a child in Laxus's arms. He broke out in a wide grin, the usual one he used on the children of the guild.

"Hello, little one. My, aren't we a tad dirty? Why don't we get you cleaned up and get some warm food in that belly?" He scanned the room, looking for someone in particular. "Ah, there you are, Erza, my dear. Would you be so kind as to clean up out little guest in the infirmary bathroom?" He searched for another face in particular. "Mira, could you and Lisanna bring her some clean clothes to wear?"

Though, she wanted to retort something witty in return, Mira bit her tongue. She knew from the look on his face that it was something serious. She wanted to find out. "Yes, Master." She grabbed Lisanna's hand and rushed her along.

"Laxus, may I speak to you?"

Responding with a grunt, he pulled the clinging child from his body and set her on the floor next to Erza, who took her hand with a ginger smile.

"Hello, I'm Erza Scarlet. What's your name?"  
>The girl gave no answer (which didn't surprise Laxus at all). Instead, her eyes widened, she tore her hand from Erza's, and she tried to grab onto Laxus's pant leg and reached up with her other hand to grab his fingers.<p>

Feeling sorry for the little one, Makarov put a hand on her head. "Now, now little one. Laxus will return. We need to talk. You can take a bath and then you can come right back, how does that sound?" It was surprising to see a child so attached to his grandson, though it was endearing. The lightning mage wasn't as heartless as he tried to put on. "You can call me 'Grandpa Maky,' okay?"

Scowling when the girl just looked down and kept clinging to him, Laxus knelt down. "Listen, we don't need any brats making the guild all dirty. Go take a bath right now before I leave." He pointed to the elderly man's chest and then lifts the sleeve of Erza's shirt to show her own guild mark. "They're Fairy Tail wizards too. Stop whining and get washed up."

Makarov was about to scold the young blonde, but was stunned when the girl let go of the male and instead grabbed Erza's outstretched hand.

"Good." Laxus nodded his head and stood straight. "Lead the way, geezer."

The upstairs rooms were quiet and secluded, the perfect place to talk about the events that had led up to this very moment. Makarov's arms were crossed over his chest, eyes closed and brows furrowed deeply.

Laxus didn't even wait for him to speak, knowing fully the questions that would pass his lips. "Someone attacked Kitanya and burned it to the ground. Everyone was dead." There was obvious shock on the Master's face, but he continued anyway. "I found the kid hiding under some rubble. There were no other survivors." The next part was a bit difficult to say. "I found a member of Blue Pegasus in some of the destruction." His tone left the older man with no doubt that they too, were deceased.

"Blue Pegasus?! Who was it?!" makarov didn't want to be the one to bear such terrible news to his longtime friend, Bob. Losing a guild member - no, family member - was too painful.

"Couldn't tell. It was an orange mark on the leg and the leg was all I could see." He paused, not sure how to properly word the rest of the information he had. "There…. Was something weird as well. On one of the buildings, there was a magic circle, but it was written in blood. I've never seen a circle like that one before."

The Master felt his stomach drop. He felt truly sick. That was such dark magic. Such old, dark magic. Before even his time. A definite death curse. Whoever had done this, they had gone into that town with the intent to kill every one of those innocent people. "Dark magic, Laxus. Very dark magic." He looked to the door, the wrinkles on his face deepening. "I'll contact Bob immediately. He'll want to know as soon as possible. What about the child?"

A blonde brow rose. "What about her?"

"Aren't you going to care for her?"

He sputtered in rage and disbelief. "What?! No! It's not my responsibility! Someone else can take the kid! I ain't no babysitter!"

Grimacing, Makarov angrily shook his fist. "Until I can find a suitable place, you'll watch her! You brought her, she is your responsibility!" He wanted his grandson to finally care about something other than himself and the strength he wanted to procure.

"What about jobs?! I need money, old man!"

"The guild will handle that! A few days won't kill you, boy! This is an order from your guild master! No 'buts,' brat!"

Cringing back in both anger and defeat, Laxus let out an audible groan. He didn't want to have to take care of some kid! He was a wizard. Not a babysitter. Not a parent. A wizard! But, he couldn't ignore the geezer, no matter how much he wanted to. "Fine! But only a few days! No more than that, geezer!" Making sure he had the last word, Laxus stormed out. He didn't want to watch the kid. He just knew that it would have been wrong to just leave her there.

Storming out of the room with long strides, he walked down to the bar and ordered a burger. He was hungry as all hell and his irritation only fueled his need to eat something. He heard the other members murmuring behind him as he ate. Honestly, it irked him even more. He could hear them wondering what had happened for him to bring some child to the guild. He was about to turn around and shout at them all when he saw Macao come sit next to him and order a beer, making sure to leave one chair between them to give the blonde space.

The older man took a sip and then sighed happily. "You know, what you must have done had to have been admirable. Everyone is just surprised." He chuckled. "She's a bit smaller than the other brats around here. Where'd you find her?"  
>Shrugging nonchalantly at the compliment, he took another bite. It seemed like Macao was sinking into the fatherly role since his obnoxiously loud announcement of his wife's pregnancy. It was annoying since he was always gloating and playing around with the kids that flooded the guild. "Someone burned down Kitanya," he muttered quietly. "The geezer thinks it's some dark guild. Found the kid hiding when I looked for survivors. I only found that one. I figured someone else would take her or that I could just drop her off somewhere. Damn brat won't talk." His frustration was only met with a chuckle. He hadn't planned what he would really do with the girl. He would have been fine to leave her with someone else but it wasn't like anyone else in the town had survived.<p>

Macao's face became solemn and he stared into his beer. "I see. That's pretty bad." He took another swig of the beverage. "Well, if you need any help, feel free to ask. Brats aren't so bad."

Laxus had to differ. "You take the kid, then. You're gonna have one anyway, what difference will one more make."

Finishing his beer, Macao looked at the teen before grinning. "Nah, she likes you better." He leaned back and smiled. "You gave Erza a pile of mud and she brought you a little girl." He patted him on the back. "Good luck."

Finishing the last bite of his burger, Laxus turned around in his chair. Incidentally, her hair was not brown, like he had originally thought. Now that the dirt had been washed away, he noticed it was a deep burgundy and it trailed down her back in long, straight locks. Without all the dirt and ash, her face was noticeably round and fair. Those hazel eyes spotted him and she eagerly let go of the redhead's hand and quickly ventured to his side. Now that she was closer, he noticed her hair was still visibly damp and her cheeks were red from the places she'd been thoroughly scrubbed, no doubt.

"Hey, dry your hair, kid, you'll catch a cold," he scolded.

He watched her climb onto the empty seat and groaned. Did she really have to sit right next to him.

Macao had to hold back his laughter. The blonde mage next to him sounded like a big brother already. He looked to the child. "Hey, kiddo. I'm Macao. You hungry?" He ordered her some curry and a glass of milk. "A nice hot meal and some milk to make you grow big. Sounds, tasty, huh? Make sure to eat up." He reached over and pat her on the head.

Scowling, Laxus stood and walked over to Erza, who had a fresh towel.

"She wouldn't let me finish washing her hair," she said with a sigh.

"Yeah, yeah." He grabbed the towel and walked back to the bar, tossing it onto the kid's head and rubbing her locks dry. She let out a yelp of surprise but was silenced by another harsh rub of her head. "Why the hell do girls have such long hair?" he asked incredulously. "Just cut it off or something."

Erza thankfully stepped in to stop him. "I got it." She ran her fingers through the damp burgundy locks and swiftly braided it, successfully making it shorter. "There." She put the towel around the girl's shoulders and walked away smugly.

The curry and milk were placed in front of the girl and she looked at Laxus warily before she began to eat. She took large mouthfuls she chewed quickly before taking another bite. After a good portion of the meal was gone, she took a drink of the milk and the continued her fast paced eating.

Walking by, Mira scowled. "Really, Erza? A braid? Had to do her hair like yours? You pathetic. You can be just as effective - if not more so - with a ponytail."

Growling at the challenge, Erza walked over and glared deeply into her eyes. "You're calling me pathetic? What would be pathetic is having to have the same hairstyle as you, you pretentious she-devil."

"Oh, really now?!"

"Yeah!"

The two girls glared angrily at one another before pulling back their fists and beginning their usual spat over nothing.

Rolling his eyes, the blonde grabbed his Sound Pods from around his neck and covered his ears to drown out the noise. Why were women so annoying? He turned to ask the brat to hurry eating so they could leave. Instead, he noticed the disgruntled expression on her face. Her lip quivered and the spoon she was happily eating from before was sitting on the nearly finished plate.

"What's the matter? Too spicy for ya'?" She had to realize it halfway through the plate? Scoffing, he leaned forward to look at her.

Tears were threatening to spill from her eyes that were tightly shut and then she put both hands over her ears.

"Eh?" Ears? Sound? The fighting? She was crying over the stupid fighting? Letting out a groan, he took off his Sound Pods and pried her hands from her ears. "This is the only time I'm doing this so hurry and up and eat so I can get to bed." He put the headphones onto her ears and let the music play.

It seemed to do its job because the kid stood straight again and looked up at him for a few seconds before smiling and them eating again.

Next to them, Macao smiled. If it was going to be that easy to take care of kids, it was going to be a breeze for his future children. Laxus wasn't a bad guy, all the adults knew that. He was just a brat himself.

"So, what's the kid's name? We can't keep calling her 'kid' or 'little girl'."

"I don't know. I asked but she wouldn't tell me. She hasn't said a single word at all. Not a name, not if she has any family or whatever somewhere else. Nothing." He hadn't really thought ahead to what he was going to call her. If he kept calling her 'kid' or 'brat,' that might lead to some problems. He didn't need people outside the guild thinking he kidnapped a kid.

Macao grinned and lifted one of the headphones. "Hey, kiddo. You never told us your name. What is it? I bet a pretty little girl like you has a pretty name."

Laxus grimaced. He couldn't imagine talking to a kid like that. It just sounded creepy.

The burgundy haired female looked at him as she chewed softly, making no indication of responding.

"You like Laxus, right? Wanna tell him instead of me?"

He was answered with a curt shake of her head.

"I'll just make up a name or something."

"Really? Like what?" Macao looked at him warily. Making up a name was not something he could imagine Laxus doing. Especially for a little girl.

"I dunno, I haven't thought about it."

The blue haired male gave the blonde a cheeky smirk. "You better tell him, kid. If he makes up a name, it'll be all over. Laxus is gonna give you an ugly name."

"Will not!" he shouted, standing up. He was tired of being insulted!

"Yeah, what are you gonna call her?"

Realizing he'd been put on the spot, seeing as how everyone in the guild was now looking at him, he gulped. Damn Macao! There was a moment of brief, tense silence as the blonde struggled to think of a name. In an effort to prove himself, he blurted the first name to come to mind.

"Kitanya."

Macao rose a brow in confusion. "Kitanya?"

"It's not a stupid name, it's the name of the town I found her in." He looked at the girl next to him. "Well?"

Mira interrupted him with laughter. "What?! That's like naming someone Magnolia or Fiore! How stupid!"

Biting her lip, the kid grabbed Laxus's sleeve and smiled up at him.

"See? She likes it!" He shouted in his defense.

"Oh look, you're first fan! Poor kid doesn't know what she's getting into!" Mira howled her laughter, further agitating the blonde.

"I'm not gonna stay here and be insulted by a brat like you!" He stood up angrily and stalked towards the door. "C'mon, kid!"

"You mean Kitanya!" Mira sang.

"Shut up!"

The walk back to Laxus's apartment was mostly quiet. Laxus couldn't hold a conversation with someone that couldn't talk - though he didn't care much for conversation anyway. Feeling a bit irritated over the name thing, he let out a sigh. "If you don't like the name, we can think of another one. Hell, if you don't want to use your old name or whatever, you can make up your own name if you want. I don't care. I just need something to call ya' so they can get off my back."

In response, she just reached up and grabbed his hand, seeming to confirm the name he'd picked out.

"Fine then. Kitanya it is. But no take backs if you don't like it later! This is your only chance!"

Thanks for reading the chapter, dearies. I hope the length for this one was a bit more satisfying. Sorry it's drawn out, I just don't want to rush the story and botch it. I'm editing it to my computer from the notebooks I originally write these in. Please review and tell me what you think. I'll get the next chapter out soon.


	3. Two Tempers

Hey, all. Sweetie here again. Coming with a new update. Please review if you have the time, it's very much appreciated.

Chapter 3: Two Tempers

Laxus's apartment was pretty small but well-suited for someone living alone. It was a single room apartment with a kitchen, bathroom and a small living space combined with the bedroom. The blonde reached into his closet and pulled out a blanket and a pillow and tossed them onto the couch.

"The toilet's in there if you need to go. Now go to bed." He walked into the bathroom to wash his face. He was too exhausted for a shower now. He'd just take one in the morning. Hopefully the old man would find a place for the kid soon so he didn't have to watch her for very long. He wasn't going to rely on the guild to provide for him. He was capable enough to handle himself.

Kitanya watched the door close and then climbed onto the couch and covered herself with the blanket. It wasn't too uncomfortable and the blanket was nice and warm.

"What are you doing?"

She looked up at him curiously. What did he mean? She was going to bed like he told her.

Groaning, he grabbed her by the back of her borrowed shirt and lifted her up. "Go wash your face and brush your teeth - with the blue one. That's the spare." He set her on her feet and gave her a small shove. Just a few days. A few days and she would be gone. He repeated that as he found a comfortable spot on the couch to lay down. He hadn't realized how tired he was until his head hit the pillow and he was drifting off to sleep.

"Laxus?"

The voice jarred him from his sleep and he bolted up into a sitting position. Who was calling him? He looked over to see Kitanya standing by the bed. Groaning again, he rubbed his eyes. "What?" That kid was actually talking to him?

"Don't I sleep on the couch?" Her voice was scratchy and quiet, so much that if it weren't for his heightened hearing, it would have been just a mumble.

Sighing for what seemed like the millionth time, he stood up, grabbed her again by the back of her shirt, and took her to the bed where he tossed her down and threw the blankets over her head. "I don't let women sleep on the couch - even if they're just brats. Now go to bed."

Readjusting herself to a more comfortable position, she smiled to herself and clutched tightly to the blanket. This man had saved her, taken her to his nice guild, let her bathe and eat a nice hot meal, and now he had lent her his bed. Inhaling deeply as she pulled the blanket over her head, she took in the scent that was starting to become familiar to her. This scent was safe. In this room with this man snoring softly across the room, she was safe. Knowing that, it wasn't too hard to fall asleep.

Fire. There was fire and screaming. People around were panicking and trying to run. Men in black cloaks were rounding up the people and herding them into the center of town.

"Mom? Mom!" Kitanya ran around, looking for a familiar face. "Mom?!"

Instead of a welcoming, familiar face, she was met with many clocked men. Hands reached out towards her and grabbed at her hair, arms and clothes.

Bolting up from the bed, the girl clung to the sheets with a white knuckled grip. Where was she?! She searched around the darkened room, anxiously willing for her eyes to adjust. She couldn't recognize the room, but she remembered the events of the previous day. Climbing from the bed, she walked over to the snoring figure on the couch.

"Laxus…" She shook him lightly. "Laxus…."

A groan was the response he chose to give. He sure did groan a lot. Didn't he know that sighing and groaning let all your happiness go away?

"Laxus? Are you awake?"

"I am now," he muttered under his breath. "What?" He rolled over onto his side and looked at her through angry, half-lidded eyes.

"I had a bad dream."

"You'll be fine. Go back to bed." Why was it that children became more talkative once it was time to sleep?

"But what if the hooded people come here?"

Hooded people? Must be the dark guild that destroyed Kitanya. "It won't happen."

"How do you know?"

"Because Fairy Tail is the strongest guild around. No one will destroy Magnolia."

"What if they want to kill everyone in Fairy Tail?"

"Fairy Tail is too strong."

"How?"

Letting out a loud sound of aggravation, the blonde sat up, propping his weight on his elbows. "Listen, kid, I'll deal with all your questions and do whatever you want tomorrow if you just stop talking and go to bed right now." Anything to get some sleep! This couch wasn't as comfortable as he thought and his back was starting to hurt. But, he could deal with pain in the morning.

Kitanya looked back at the bed. But, if she returned to bed, the nightmares might come back. She wanted to stay awake and stay with Laxus. The long haired girl let out a squeal of surprise when she was scooped up under one of his muscular arms and carried back to the bed. He dropped her onto the bed and tucked her under the blankets, not giving her a chance to protest.

"Alright. It's settled. Go to sleep and don't wake me up until the sun comes up." He'd much more prefer for her to just wait until he woke up himself, but at least he would be less irate once the sun was up. He returned to the couch and wasted no time returning to his precious sleep.

Laxus was awoken by the glorious smell of coffee. Had he set the machine before he fell asleep? He sat up and stretched his aching muscles, feeling a few pops here and there. Damn, was that couch uncomfortable. Oh well, time to drink some coffee and then get to the guild. Finding his way off the couch, he trudged down the hall to the kitchen. Why was he sleeping on the couch, again? And in his clothes, no less? Had he sat down after a mission and fallen asleep? The reminder that brought it all back was waiting for him in the kitchen.

Standing on the counter was the little brat, opening the pantry door to grab one of the few mugs he had. When she heard him walk in, she turned around and sat down, mug in hand.

"What are you doing in the kitchen? You'll fall off the counter." He walked over and took the mug from her hands. He didn't have many mugs and didn't want her dropping any. Peering curiously at the freshly brewed coffee, Laxus filled his cup. "This better not taste like crap." Not waiting for it to cool, he took a sip, prepared for the worst. Instead, he found it wasn't terrible. It was a litter stronger than he liked, but decent. "How does a kid know how to make coffee?"

She shrugged and slid off the counter. Oh, now she was being quiet?

"What are you doing up, anyway?"

Kitanya again just shrugged, not giving him much of an answer. With a roll of his eyes, he took a large swig of the hot beverage.

"So, what do you want?"

"I'm hungry," she finally responded.

"Then eat." He walked to the fridge, opening the door. "There's plenty of - oh." Looked like he'd forgotten to go shopping before he left. All that was in the fridge was a carton of milk and what looked like a block of cheese wrapped in plastic. Closing the door, he straightened up and looked to the girl watching him, already aware of the lack of food in his home. "Alright, alright. Wash your face and we'll go get something to eat at the guild." He finished his cup of coffee and put the mug in the sink before returning to his room to change his clothes.

Clothes. The kid didn't have any. Just the ones that she borrowed from Mira and Lisanna. Was he going to have to get her clothes too? Man, kids just got worse and worse.

Sitting in the guild, Laxus pulled Kitanya onto the stool and looked at her expectantly. "What do you want to eat?"

"Can I have pancakes?" she asked barely above a whisper.

"Whatever."

It only took a few minutes for the plate to come out to the girl and she took a few hesitant bite, turning to look at everyone as she chewed thoughtfully.

"You better eat before they get cold."

"Are you going to eat breakfast?"

"No." He never ate breakfast. He preferred to drink coffee or just work out in the morning to wake up.

Carefully straightening up, she reached over the bar top.

"H-Hey! You're going to get your hair in your food!" Her long hair was no longer braided and he grabbed the locks to keep them from getting caught in the sticky syrup. He wasn't going to give her a bath!

Sitting back, she offered him a fork. "You can have some of my pancakes if you want."

Taken aback by the sudden offer, he scoffed. "I don't eat breakfast, kid. Especially not all that sweet stuff."

Setting the unused fork on the bar top, she continued eating, occasionally scanning the hall.

"Who are you looking for?" It wasn't like she really knew anyone in the guild.

"Macao." He'd been nice to her and talked to her while she ate. It would be nice to listen to him talk again.

"No use. He's probably on a job." Speaking of finding people, he needed to talk to the old man and see if he'd contacted Bob. He stood up and started walking away. "Finish your food. I'll be back."

Laxus grumbled as he walked back into the main hall. "Stupid geezer. How tough is it to find a place for a kid?" Though contact had been made with Blue Pegasus, Bob had been unable to determine when he'd be coming. Upon hearing about the death of one of their members, he sent out that weirdo that was obsessed with perfumes or whatever in their vessel Christina to collect their members out on jobs and make sure who was accounted for and who was the possible deceased. None had talked about going to Kitanya and there had been several in the general area so Bob didn't want to take a chance on waiting for them to come back. Laxus also got chewed out for not reporting the disaster to the Council. An investigation was being started to find the culprits responsible and the damage was already being cleared. Unfortunately, very few of the bodies were identifiable - and the Blue Pegasus member was not one of them. As for Kitanya, no one from the neighboring towns had claimed the missing child and he hadn't found any place willing to take her, so Laxus was still stuck with her.

"Can't some family just take the kid? Like Macao or one of the other adults?" He was 16 for Mavis sake! He was too busy taking care of himself to take care of some kid! The stupid old man scolded him for deciding to ask the kid about any information on her family or any other relations. How "damaging" could it be to just ask her about her mother or father? They were already gone and the least she could do was tell him something! Ugh, he needed to just go out and train a bit. He needed to hit something. Kid or no kid, he wasn't going to miss out on training - even for one day. He strode out the door and through the town to the thick of trees surrounding them. It was the best place for anyone to practice magic without causing damage.

Laxus found himself seated on his rear, sweating, panting and shirtless. He'd been trying to perfect a new attack and he'd yet to do so. Scowling, he brought his hand up to his face and wiped the sweat that threatened to drip into his eyes. How hard was it to manifest some damn lightning around his entire arm and hold it long enough to hit something? He was getting it to stay, but it needed more force so it could incase his arm and protect it from damage. The lightning was supposed to cause most of the damage, not his fist. The bloodied knuckles were testament to his failures. After beating his right fist raw and bloody, he switched to his left in attempt to increase his chances for success. Now he was left with two bloody hands and no success to speak of. Taking the time to just lean back on his hands and catch his second wind, he winced at the stinging, throbbing pain he felt. Maybe after he caught his breath he would try again with his legs. The only way to succeed was to keep going.

"Laxus?"

The blonde mage turned around to peer over his sweaty shoulder. Just as he thought, the runt he'd been trying to get rid of was heading his way. "Kid, what the hell are you doing out here? Go back to the guild."

Pulling at her sleeves, Kitanya shook her head, her long hair up in a ponytail similar to Mira's, swishing from side to side with the movement. Looks like the She-Devil had gotten to her hair before Erza had. "I want to be with you."

Exasperated, he moved to lay on his back and grimaced at the blades of grass stabbing into his bare skin. Closing his eyes, he motioned for her to sit down.

After taking a seat next to him, she crossed her legs and rested her hands in her lap. "What were you doing?"

"Someone sure is talkative today," he responded without opening his eyes.

"You promised we could do what I want today. And you promised you'd answer me."

"Fine." He waved his hand around dismissively, recalling making a promise of the sort while in the midst of being in a sleep starved mood. "I was training."

"For what?"

"Just because. If I don't get stronger, I'll get weaker."

"Why do you need to be strong?"

"To get jobs done."

"Do you work in your guild?"

"Yes, that's what wizards do. We accept jobs and we do them to get money."

Kitanya pulled a few blades of grass from the ground and toyed with them between her fingers, staring at the thin green vegetation.

"What? No more twenty questions?" he asked in a mocking tone.

She remained silent, causing him to open one lazy eye and look at her curiously. She was looking at the grass and rubbing it between her tiny fingers. Sitting up into a sitting position, he stretched his back, satisfied in the pop he felt and the crack he heard.

At the sound, she looked over and eyed his hands. "Do they hurt?"

"No, it's no big deal, kid."

"Why do you train and hurt yourself? Why do you need to be big and strong when you can have strong magic?"

Now, that was an interesting question he hadn't been asked before. Not even by that dumb fire brat, Natsu. Crossing his legs Indian-style, he looked at the small child with a solemn expression. "Listen up because you need to understand something really important. It doesn't matter if you have powerful magic. If your body is weak, then magic won't help you. If you're out of magic and you still gotta' fight, you're dead. You need your body to be strong too because that's one less weakness to have. You get it?"

She nodded her head and then looked at his hands again. Hesitantly, she reached out and grabbed his large hand in hers. Laxus tried to pull it back, uncomfortable with the contact, but gave up when her grip tightened. Kids sure were annoying.

"It doesn't hurt. I ain't no wimp."

Looking down to the patch of grass beneath her, Kitanya pressed her hand firmly down. "Insurgo…" came a quiet mutter.

A chuckled erupted from the blonde's lips. "So, hiding magic now, are we? Well, what kind of mage are you, eh?"

Lifting up her hand, she revealed some small yellow flowers that weren't there just a moment ago.

"Huh? What's with the weeds?" Making leaves and plants? What boring magic. How could you fight anyone with that?

"They're not weeds!" she said before puffing out her cheeks angrily. "They're flowers! Watch!" She plucked one from the stem and held it in her hand. It was pretty small, only big enough to cover a quarter of her palm, and it was a pale yellow, almost white, with many tiny petals and a white center. She clenched her hand, crushing the plant before rolling it between both hands. When she opened them to show him again, the petals had fallen off and all that was left was the white center. She lightly squeezed the nub and held it over Laxus's bleeding knuckles, letting a thin yellow liquid drip onto in.

Quickly pulling his hand back, Laxus scowled at the girl. "Hey! Don't go putting crap on people without their say so! I don't even know what that is!"

"It's a taku flower. They stop people from bleeding and make it stop hurting. It works, right?"

Pausing and clenching his hands a few times, he was surprised to realize the stinging pain was gone. "Huh, well what do you know. It doesn't hurt." He eyed her suspiciously. "It wasn't really bleeding all that much, you know? And it's not really healing it or anything. You learned magic to make a plant that doesn't do anything grow?"

Kitanya plucked another bud and handed to the blonde, willing him to try it himself on his other hand. "It's not healing magic, you know. It just makes it stop hurting. And I can grow a lot more plants. I just have to practice," she grumbled, having hoped for some praise from the blonde dragon slayer.

Having just let the flower drop back to the ground, he just shrugged. "Well it won't matter what kind of plants or whatever you can make if you're too weak to win in a fight. Who taught you that lame magic anyway?" He instantly regretted the question when he remembered the fate of her hometown. Scratching the back of his hed, he let a curse fly from his lips. "Hey, kid, do you have any family other than in the town? Like someone from another town? An aunt or uncle or maybe someone your parents were friends with? You can't stay with me forever."

"Why not?" Her hazel eyes seemed to practically beg him to reconsider his last statement. But, there was no relenting.

"I gotta' get back to jobs and I'm not taking a little kid with me. I need to focus on that and not babysitting. And the old geezer won't let me work until we find somewhere to take you." He returned his gaze to her, eyes not asking for an answer - more like demanding one.

Looking down at her lap, she shook her head, fringe hiding the disappointed expression he was sure she had. "There's no one. I don't have a father. Mom had friends, but I don't know their names. Mom told me to call them 'Auntie' and 'Uncle'."

"Then what's your mom's name? We can find her friends that way." Screw what the old man said.

"Mom…" she responded, making the lightning mage slap his forehead in frustration. Of course. Just perfect! "Then tell me your name - your real name, kid. We can find out who your mom was that way." He ran his fingers through his sweaty hair and reached for his long sleeved black shirt, pulling it over his head. He'd take a shower once he got home. "So what's your name?"

"…"

"Hey, I'm asking you a question."

"…Kitanya…"

"What? No, you're real name. I'm not playing some game, kid!" Here he was trying to be helpful and she was just wearing on that one last nerve he had. One of the many reasons to hate children.

Startling him, the red haired girl stood up, hands balled into fists. "No! My name is Kitanya! Stop calling me 'kid'! You named me that but you never use it! My name is Kitanya! Kiiiitaaannyaaaaa~!" She stopped her foot as she shouted, eyes clenched tightly. "You're mean, Laxus! You're a meanie!" With a curt turn, she ran back into the direction of Magnolia, moving as quickly as her short legs would take her.

"Hey! Don't yell like that, brat!" He stood as well, fully prepared to give her lecture on screaming and throwing a tantrum like a little brat.

Wait, how old was she even? Height wasn't much to go on and he didn't know what features were the makings of different ages. Was she even acting like a little kid or was this normal for kids her age - whatever her age was?

Gritting his teeth and letting out another curse, Laxus grabbed his other shirt and his sound pods before making his way back to the guild, prepared for the earful he was going to get from the Master. This was no job for a teenager.

With hands stuffed into his pockets, Laxus trudged through town, dragging his feet more or less. He was NOT looking forward to getting yelled at. Who in their right mind decided it was a good idea to let a teen take care of a kid? In what universe is that a good idea? He himself had just moved into his own place after his father had been kicked out of the guild. Not wanting to live in the Fairy Tail complex or with his grandfather, it had been the best choice and he'd been saving up Jewel anyway.

Speaking of the Fairy Tail building, why didn't the kid just stay there temporarily? Gray, Erza, and a lot of the other kids lived there themselves without any trouble. And that fire-eating moron, Natsu lived in a place by himself. He'd just go suggest that to the geezer right now! Picking up the pace, he moved through the crowds of near evening Magnolia. People scrambling to get their dinners prepared on time, people rushing home after a long day at work, just people everywhere.

As he weaved through the people, he noticed a green sign standing out. "GROCER". Now that he thought about it, he didn't have any food in the apartment. Well, while he was here, he could at least get some of the pesky shopping done. He grabbed an outside basket and walked inside, not minding the distraction from his route. While inside, he grabbed milk, eggs, beef, a couple veggies, rice and a package of raw bacon. That was definitely enough to last in the kitchen until his next job, he thought as he walked through the isles towards the register. He'd nearly reached it when a red and orange box caught his attention. Glancing at it with a disinterested expression, his eyes lingered as he halted in his steps. Instant pancake mix.

The kid liked seemed to like pancakes. She sure ate the hell out of them at the guild for breakfast. Finding his thoughts on the little brat that had just yelled at him, he grit his teeth and threw the box into his basket, as well as a small bottle of syrup that had been placed next to the boxes. He better get some slack for this. He trudged to the register, letting the grocer ring him up.

"Is that instant stuff any good?" the balding man with a moustache asked curiously. "I've only ever made pancakes from scratch."

"Dunno," he grumbled in response. "Don't much care for sweet stuff." And pancakes were indeed sweet.

The mustached man rose a peppered brow. "Little ones, then?"

Sputtering, Laxus gave and angry glare. "Do I look old enough to have a kid?!"

He merely received a chuckle in response. "Relax, son. I meant brothers or sisters." He finished tallying up the purchases. "Thirty-four Jewel."

The blonde fished the money from his wallet and handed it over, bagging his stuff up to make the purchase go by quicker. "Nah, just watching some kid for someone."

The older man smiled, the corners of his eyes wrinkling as he handed Laxus his change. "How nice. You have a great day, sir."

"Yeah, whatever." He grabbed the two bags with one hand before taking his leave. Why were older people so nosey and opinionated? Always having to give their two cents on everything. It was not nice to have to take care of some brat. It was downright annoying. The sooner he grabbed her and went home the better. He needed a shower.

The afternoon sun was giving way to near dusk when he noticed a familiar burgundy color about waist high from a few yards away.

"Kid?" When he didn't get an answer, he cupped a hand to his mouth. "Hey, Kitanya!" His call was met with the response he expected. Said child turned around and looked around, face shifting with recognition. With a few long strides, he'd caught up and stood over her, eyeing her suspiciously. "What are you doing in the middle of town by yourself? Thought you were going back to the guild?" At least, he had assumed so when she ran off after throwing her little tantrum.

Kitanya looked down at her feet, gripping the hem of her shirt tightly with both hands. Slowly, she reached out and grabbed his shirt, bringing herself close to him. "I couldn't find it."

Huh, so she had gotten lost. Serves her right for running off like that. "You should have just gone back to the apartment, then. It was unlocked." Not like he really had anything to steal in there. He just had his necessities there.

Keeping her head down, she shrugged her shoulders. "Don't know where that is either."

Rolling his eyes, he pulled her hand from his shirt and crouched down. "What did ya learn? Don't go running off and throwing tantrums. You're not a baby, are you?"

She shook her eyes, eyes peaking up at him from underneath her bangs.

"Good. Only babies throw tantrums. If you're not a baby, then stop screaming and act like it. You run off next time and someone's gonna snatch you and that's it. I won't go looking for you if you get kidnapped, you hear?"

Nodding, she reached out and grabbed his sleeve. "Sorry," she mumbled. "I won't throw tantrums."

"You better not." Standing up, he shook off her hand again, holding out the lightest grocery bag to her. "Take this and carry it. I got food so we can eat at the apartment."

Grabbing the bag, she opened it and peaked inside, grinning when she saw a box of pancake mix. She looked up at him and her grin grew. "Are we going to have pancakes for dinner?!"

Scowling, he started walking. "Of course not! That's breakfast food! We're going to have some rice and stew." How could kids eat breakfast foods for dinner? It was disgusting. And since it was simple, rice and stew were some of the few things he could actually make. Most of the time he ate at the guild. But if he cooked at home now, he wouldn't have to deal with Mira and her loudmouth teasing, or those stupid kids Gray and Natsu fighting every ten seconds. If he had to deal with any more bratty kids today, he was going to burst and end up hitting one of them. His patience was worn thin enough for one day. He looked next to himself to see Kitanya dutifully carrying the bag. He noticed her cheeks were red and she sniffled every now and again, like she had a runny nose. Brat must have been whining and crying when she realized she didn't know how to get to the guild or the apartment. And seeing as how she didn't even talk to the other guild members, it wasn't too far fetched to think she wouldn't ask any of the townspeople for directions. Kids were so stubborn.

The burgundy haired child switched the hand that was holding the bag, stealing glances at the tall blonde next to her. He was looking straight ahead and being on his left, she got a good look at the scar that ran down his face. He probably got it fighting a bad guy and saving someone. She smiled at the image of Laxus bravely fighting against some villain and rescuing an entire town. Stealing a longer glance, she carefully reached up and grabbed a hold of the sleeve of his shirt. In response to the action, Laxus just pulled his arm away.

"Don't stretch my shirt out by pulling on it.. Just stay close and you won't get lost. The crowd is pretty small."

"Okay." Biting her lip anxiously, she reached up again and instead took a hold of his hand, wrapping her small fingers around his much larger one.

This kid just wouldn't give up unless she held onto something, would she? Sighing, he just ignored the action, letting her do what she pleased for the moment. This would be the only time he allowed this.

Kitanya smiled and looked forward, letting him lead the way to the apartment. Laxus sure was nice. He just didn't know it yet.

Hey, Sweetie here ending the chapter. Sorry for the late update. I tried to get it done earlier, just had some block on a few parts. I'm also working on a couple other stories that I'm going to send out soon. Thank you for the reviews and I hope I can meet your standards. I hope the extended length made up for my absence. Please follow and review, it's very much appreciated. I'll hopefully have the next chapter up soon, lovies!


	4. On The Way

**Hello, lovies! Sweetie here again, just thanking you all for the follows and the reviews! It just makes me smile so much and I love when someone tells me they can't wait for the next chapter. It fills my heart with joy and motivates me to work harder for all of you! Well, once again, I hope you all enjoy the chapter. Please review and follow because I very much appreciate it!**

Chapter 4: On The Way

The sound of running water awoke Laxus from his sleep. He sat up and groaned, stretching his back and feeling a few cracks an pops. This couch was NOT doing well for his back. It felt as if he'd barely slept at all! Scratching the back of his head and yawning, he trudged over to the bathroom door and opened it. "What are you doing awake so early?"

His question was met with a scream and he was blinded by something hitting him in the face. He stumbled back and fell onto his behind before tearing the item off his face. A towel?! "What the hell, kid?!"

"Get out! Get out!" she shouted.

It was then he realized she was sitting in the bath, an angry scowl and a blush across her cheeks.

"What the hell?! So you throw things at me?! You're a little kid! You ain't got anything to hide anyway!" He threw the towel back at her, successfully hitting her in the face before slamming the door and stomping into the kitchen. "Damn kid being so loud in the morning and screaming about stupid stuff."

In the kitchen, there was one of the chairs moved to the counter. He moved it back and reached into the cabinet where he kept the coffee. Blinking, he noticed the bag was no longer there. But he had coffee yesterday. Looking down, he noticed that the coffee pot was full and steaming hot. Had the kid made coffee again? He grabbed a mug from the next cabinet over and poured himself a cup, taking a small sip in case it was disgusting. Surprisingly, she had yet again made a successful cup. He took a few gulps, not minding the heat of it, as he sat at the table. Maybe he should cook breakfast so they didn't have to eat at the guild again. He finished his cup and went to the fridge, grabbing the eggs and bacon and then the pancake mix and syrup from the cupboard. He wouldn't touch the stuff but the bacon and eggs were alright. Wordlessly, he started cooking.

He'd barely finished cooking when Kitanya emerged from the bathroom, fully dressed and a towel atop her head as she rubbed the water from her locks.

"In a better mood, brat?" he asked mockingly.

The child puffed out her cheeks angrily and turned away with a pout. "I'm a girl! Boys can't see girls in the bath!"

Laxus just rolled his eyes at her response. "Never mind. Put some forks and plates on the table."

She pulled the chair out again and climbed atop it to reach the plates and also grabbed herself a cup. After scooting the chair back and setting the table, she went into the fridge to grab the milk.

"Laxus, do you want, milk too?"

"No, I have coffee." He held up the mug in example before bringing the pan over to serve the food onto the plates. "Now sit and eat."

Smiling at the plate, she grabbed it and brought it next to Laxus and then the chair.

"What are you doing?!" he sputtered. "Go sit over there!" He motioned to the space across from him.

"I want to sit with you, Laxus." She climbed into the chair and immediately started to eat her food.

After a few moments of silence - which was pleasing to the blonde - Kitanya looked over at the coffee sipping male. "Laxus, do you want some pancakes?"

"No."

"Why?"

"Because I don't like sweet stuff."

"Pancakes aren't sweet. They're pancakes." They weren't sweet like candy or cake.

"They are sweet. It's gross."

"Have you ever tried them?" She stabbed a piece with her fork and held it out to him. "Try a bite."

"No." Geez, this kid was freaking out about taking being seen in the bath but was completely fine with sharing a fork?

"Have you tried them?" she repeated.

"Of course, brat. I used to eat them when I was a kid."

She tilted her head to the side curiously. "Then why did you stop eating them?"

"Because I don't like sweet things." He took a drink of his coffee, brows furrowed in growing irritation.

"But they're not sweet."

"You said that! I said no!"

Kitanya smiled and held the fork up closer to his face. "Pancakes are really good! C'mon!"

A loud sigh of aggravation left his lips and he leaned over, eating the piece in one bite. "There, I did it! Now stop bugging me and eat!" Scowling, he finished off his coffee to get the sickly sweet taste out of his mouth. That syrup just made the sweet breakfast food even more sweet. It was awful!

Kitanya just smiled at him and returned to her own plate.

Entering the guild, the two were greeted by the usual sight of the members breaking into a rowdy fight. Magic being tossed back and forth, furniture flying, shouts and insults spouting forth from mouths. Laxus slapped his hand to his face and groaned. If it wasn't one annoyance, it was another.

"Go sit down somewhere out of the way while I go talk to the old man."

"Can I go too? I want to see Grandpa."

"Eh? Whatcha' calling him 'Grandpa' for? He's just a geezer. Go sit down. Find someone to talk to." He didn't bother to watch her leave his side and he easily moved through the crowd and fighting members. Being used to the brawling, it was easy for him to avoid being hit by anything anyone had to throw about. No doubt it was probably Natsu and Gray that started the fight. It seemed like the two of them were the stem of most of the fights.

He easily found Makarov in his office, no doubt looking through paperwork sent by the council, complaining about the usual damage they cause on jobs.

"Hey, old man."

His grandfather looked up from the papers spread about on his desk. "What is it, Laxus?" Had something happened to the little one? He had noticed she was quite attached to him and he didn't see her clinging to him as usual.

"Any word on finding a place for the kid?"

Makarov leaned back in his chair. "No, not as of yet. Still no one has reported a child missing. I suppose we'll have to look at other options." It would be a shame to do so, though. "Bob contacted me and will be here hopefully, tomorrow or the day after. He wants to ask you a few questions and it'd be better if it was done in person."

Laxus leaned against the door frame, looking around the room casually. "That's fine. The sooner, the better." It would be best for them to finally talk about the guild member he had found. Remembering the subject of what would happen to Kitanya, he returned his gaze to Makarov. "Apparently the kid can use magic."

This made the guild master perk up considerably. "Really now? What kind of magic?"

"Plants, I guess. I haven't really seen much of it. I mean, if it comes down to it, I guess she can just join the guild or whatever, as long as she practices and gets stronger."

Turning his head away, the old man grinned mischievously. "Growing attached now, are we?"

Sputtering and growing red with angry, Laxus straightened up and his hands tightened into fists. "No! It's just a pain to take care of the brat so if she joins the guild, she can stay at the damn apartments and I don't have to be a babysitter anymore!"

Ignoring the shouting coming from his grandson, he just waved a dismissive hand. "Have her show me some of her magic after you and Bob talk and then we'll talk about letting her join." Though he really doubted he'd refuse her acceptance into the guild, he'd rather have her stay with Laxus a bit longer. It seemed to do his brat good to have to take care of someone other than himself.

"Che' whatever," he scoffed, brows furrowed and a warm anger broiling in his belly. As if he could get attached to an annoying kid! The sooner she got out of his hair, the better! Not wanting to continue the annoying conversation anymore, he turned curtly and left the room.

As he exited, he scanned the room for the tiny burgundy haired kid that had hopefully listened to him saying to get out of the way. He spotted her at a table with Cana, fidgeting as the brunette displayed cards to her and laughed. Well, at least she wasn't whining and crying like he expected her to do. Maybe she took his scolding from the day previous to heart and decided to stop being a baby. And she was rather out of the way from the fighting so at least she was listening to him. He cupped a hand to his mouth, ready to shout out tp her. He wanted to go train a bit more. And maybe he could tell the kid to show him the extent of her magic. If she was impressive in skill, she could join the guild and get her own place and he could go back to his normal routine.

Right as he was about to call out, he saw something fly in her direction. Before his mind could register what was about to happen, it struck her. A beer mug. Thankfully not a piece of furniture.

He watched with gritted teeth as Cana stare wide eyed at the younger girl, not sure how to respond. Every one in the guild was used to ducking and dodging any thrown objects, it was hard to always keep in mind that there was someone there that wasn't used to their rowdy antics. The sound of impact had been enough to cease the rumble, all eyes on the tyke.

Slowly, her eyes welled up with large tears before a wail tore from her throat. Cana wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders and attempted to soothe her with comforting words.

With fists tightening with anger, Laxus made his way across the quiet room. When he reached Kitanya, he stared at her for a good few seconds.

Having him glower at her, she stifled her sobs to quiet murmurs of pain and sniffling. Just having him look at her like that made her feel ashamed for crying. She rubbed at her eyes with clenched fists and looked up at him, embarrassed.

The blonde knelt down and glared at her sternly. He reached forward and brushed her bangs from her face. Thankfully, the glass had not broken, but there was a good bump rising up on her forehead.

"You're not bleeding. Stop crying." He looked at Cana nonchalantly. "Just get her an icepack or something." He looked back at Kitanya. "We talked about being a baby, didn't we? Don't cry when it's not that bad." He stood up straight, glowering angrily at the other guild members. "And you morons need to stop fighting like a whole bunch of stupid monkeys!" Their ridiculous antics were what made people laugh at Fairy Tail. As strong as they all were, it was hard to take them serious when there were tons of drunken brawls and children fighting. What a bunch of idiots. With his seething irritation, small sparks of lightning shot around.

"Aw, poor Laxy," came Mira's usual teasing voice. "Getting mad that his poor little baby got a boo-boo."

That only fueled his irritation. "Ya little brat!" He took a step towards the ivory haired female. Why was she always so Hell-bent on mocking everyone - especially him and Erza? "If you idiots weren't throwing things around, I wouldn't have to deal with brats getting hit!"

Natsu was the moron to speak up in response. "Well, if it pissed you off so much, why don't you do something about it?!" Flames engulfed his hands and he crouched, ready to battle. The pinkette leapt in the air, fist pulled back and a smug grin on his face. However, before he could even lay a hit, Laxus's fist shot out, striking the younger boy's face and making him practically fly across the room.

"I'm outta' here. Get moving, kid." The blonde slayer didn't wait for Kitanya, she'd follow him regardless. And as expected, he heard the patter of feet as she followed after him. He heard her stop right as he reached the door.

Holding the ice pack to her face, she waved to Cana and smiled. "Bye-bye."

Cana waved in return, a concerned smile on her face. "Bye-bye." Was she really going to be okay with Laxus? He could just be so mean sometimes. And by the way he treated Natsu and the rest of the guild, it was obvious he had no patience. How was he supposed to take care of a little kid? From what she'd heard from Macao - who had been talking with the other adults - her parents were probably dead and her town had been destroyed. The brunette looked down at her cards. Now might be a good time to practice her fortune telling. Closing her eyes, she carefully chose her cards, laying them down on the table. Eyes opening, she flipped each over, jaw set in concentration. She scanned the cards individually, finding the answers to her many questions. Bright orbs widened and she looked over the cards again and again, making sure she was right. The results made a small ghost of a smile grace her lips. She looked out the guild doors and watched the two, the large blonde in the middle of scolding the child out of pure frustration.

**Hey, Sweetie here. Sorry for the short and uneventful chapter. I'm trying to update between things going on that are pretty hectic. I really hope you enjoyed it though and another one should be on the way soon. I want to try and update at least one a week. I don't care much for football or the SuperBowl so I'm going to try and type up a new chapter while everyone else is dealing with those festivities. I at least want to keep updating before Majora's Mask comes out next month. I preordered it and I don't know how often I will update once I get it. Once again, please review if you have the time. It is very much appreciated and I hope you all look forward to the next chapter. It's going to be much more eventful. Much love!**


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